Blogging is more than just a side project. It has become part of who I am. The pages of this blog act as a diary documenting a student life, entry-level PR experience, and now as a senior practitioner. Past articles can make for awkward or difficult reading, but it’s history.
So it’s disappointing to reach the end of a successful professional and personal year, to then reflect on a blog that at times did feel abandoned, at least in comparison to other years. Visits to this blog peaked at 50,000 in 2014, but this year it has dropped. Whilst posts may show quality, blogging still requires constant feeding to grow and create community.
Despite only publishing 32 posts throughout the whole of 2016 (around 2 a month) the benefits of blogging still shine through. Through my everyday work I’m always pleased to hear how often this blog is read, especially when it contributes to new business efforts and talking about Lansons initiatives.
The challenge is balancing the responsibilities of a more senior role in a busy London consultancy, being mentally available after work (rather than an exhausted husk) to feed a personal life, and then blogging. This year practical work in my career took priority over the blog as I adapted to an account director role after promotion end of 2015. It was the right decision.
Still, it’s been a wonderful year and here are the top five posts of 2016.
SEO is no longer a discipline, it’s a skillset
After attending the well-known BrightonSEO conference, I reflected on how Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is an integral skillset for PR practitioners.
See beyond your age: 26 life lessons at age 26
A very personal post that attempted to explain some life lessons and reaffirm parts of my personality on this blog.
UK Blogger Survey 2016: It’s all about fashion and poor PR pitches
Good old Vuelio conducted a survey with 500 UK bloggers revealing the pitches they receive and ways of working.
Britain’s best PR student bloggers 2016 #bestPRblogs
There are so many talented student PR bloggers worth keeping your eye on, this post ranks the best based on Behind the Spin’s #bestPRblogs competition.
The Independent: where print declines, online soars
The title of this post is not true, online clearly does not guarantee success. However, online does provide opportunity and more immersive ways to engage readership.
Looking to 2017, it is clear that blogging needs to come back onto the agenda in a big way. I’ve continued to feel the benefits this year and if I refocus, then this may lead to even more opportunities.
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